Combined radio condenser and station selector



COMBINED RADIO CONDENSER AND STATION SELECTOR :."mmmn i /V BY f J9 M ATTORNEY Jan. 5, 1943. B. FISHER 2,307,673

COMBINED RADIO CONDENSER AND STATION SELECTOR Filed Nov. 8, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "mm wmmnm A INVENTOR ff/y- ./ZfMg-/P BY :L 57M ATTORNEY of movement or operation of the selector.

Patented Jan. 5, 1943 COMBINED RADIO CONDENSER AND STATION SELECTOR Berne Fisher, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Condenser Development Corporation, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 8, 1938, Serial No. 239,441

(Cl. 'J4-10) 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a combined radio condenser and station selector.

The primevobject of the present invention centers about the provision of :a radio condenser and a push-button type of station selector in which the elements of the condenser and the elements of the selectorL are combined to produce a compact and simplified unit.

One of the main problems in the design of a station selector for a radio set is that of obtaining high tuning accuracy and repeat accuracy. The mean value oi tolerance for total accuracy (tuning and repeat accuracy) desirable in a station selector (as measured at the condenser rotor) is a tuning variation of plus or minus 1 kilocycle (a total of 2 kilocycles). With a modern variable condenser employed as the tuning unit of the system, this means that at an average point in the tuning range, the condenser rotor should be mechanically tunable by the selector over a 1 degree tolerance. It becomes apparent from this that the push-button manuals, the operating member of the selector and the linkage thereof to the condenser rotor must respond to at least an equal degree of mechanical operating refinement. By means of the principles underlying the functioning of the apparatus of the present invention, this problem is effectively solved. l

The more important phase of this total accuracy is that of repeat accuracy, which may be defined as the ability to reproduce a predetermined setting or tuning over repeated cycles To effectively accomplish the desired repeat accuracy, the mechanical linkage between the pushbutton manuals and the condenser rotor must be designed to absolutely eliminate play and back lash at all points, with a minimum of friction loss. By means of the selector structure of the present invention and its combination with the condenser elements, these problems are effectively solved and a high repeat accuracy is obtained.

In mechanically operated push-button selectors, the operating member of the selector is usually coupled to the movable element of the condenser by means of gears or links; and from the foregoing it will be apparent that these must be devised and organized in such a way as to permit the obtaining of the required high accuracy repeatable tuning operations. By means of the present invention, there are eliminated all gearing and linking devices usually used to couple the condenser rotor with the selector operat- I ing member, and there is thus produced a construction in which the condenser rotor is directly operated by the operating member of the selector. The results are increased accuracy of repeatable tuning operations, simplied operation of the combined condenser and selector and compactness in design.

Correlary objects and results are the provision of a combinedA condenser and selector which is mechanically simple in structure, which is capable of being reliably manufactured by quantity production methods, and which possesses long usage life under the severe operating conditions of normal use.

To accomplish this main object of the invention, the rotor element of the condenser and the operating member of the selector are constructed to form a single movable unit. A further prime object of the invention is to rotatably mount this unit s0 that it may be actuated positively in either direction of its rotation to a selected position by the selective operation of the push-button manuals. By virtue of this mounting and this operation, the movable element of the condenser is capable of being operated by the selector to assume a definitely predetermined position upon every repeat operation of the selector manual, this being an important factor in securing the required high accuracy for the repeatable tuning operations.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the invention further consists in the structural combination hereinafter to be found in the claims and in the appended drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of the combined radio condenser and station selector of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof with parts broken away, with one of the push-button manuals shown in operated or depressed position;

Figure 4 is a view thereof taken in cross-section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and showing the parts in one operated position (with the conselector of the present invention comprises in combination a unitary structure in which the essential components, namely, the tuningunit T, in the form of a multiple or gang condenser, and the station selector S in the form of a pushbutton tuner, are mounted in a common frame F. One of the essential features of this combination is the provision of a single rotor unit R which is common to the tuning unit or condenser system T and the selector system S, as will be described more in detail hereinafter.

The frame F consists of the opposite endy plates I and Il and an intermediate or shield plate I2 (separating the units of the Agang condenser system) spacedly tied together by means of the connecting rods I3 and \I4 and the tie bars I5 and I6, these parts being suitably dovetailed and interlocked as shown in the drawings or in any other approved manner. The tie bar I6 is preferably angle-shaped so as to also form a rear guide for the push-button manuals, as will be further detailed hereinafter. VCompleting this frame structure, there is provided a yoke-shaped bracket I'I forming a front support and guide for the push-button manualsI the said bracket being suitably attached to the frameend plates I0 and II in any approved way as by means of the securing screws I8, I8 (see Figure 2). This frame F supports all of the elements of both the tuning unit or condenser and the push-button selector.

The tuning unit T comprises a multiple or gang condenser system of two or more units (two being shown in the drawings), each unit comprising a stator s composed of a plurality of stator plates, and a rotor r composed of a plurality of rotor plates, the rotor being movable into and out of interleaving relation with respect to the stator between the positions shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, these figures showing the extreme positions to which the rotor is movable. Each stator unit s is fixedly and insulatedly mounted in the frame F in any approved way, and as an example thereof, the stator plates spacedly fixed on the two stator combs I9 and 20 are mounted in position by means of two ceramic insulators 2l and 22 which are fitted at one end into sleeves formed integrally with the combs I9 and 20 and which are fitted at the other end into sleeves similarly formed in brackets 23 and 24, the said brackets being secured in position to the tie bars I and I6, respectively. Since the condenser rotors r form part of the rotor R which is common to the condenser system and the selector system, the mounting thereof will be described further hereinbelow. At this point it may be mentioned that the stator units are fixed in position to the frame after the rotor and stator units are interleaved and held in spaced relation by means of I a spacing fixture, the stator brackets 23 and 24 being at such time afilxed to the tie bars I5 and I6 by a soldering operation during which the solder is deposited as at 25 and 26.

The essential components of the selector S comprise an operating member O and a plurality of push-button manuals all collectively designated as M (four of such manuals being shown in the drawings), the said operating member O being common to and being actuatable by any one of said manuals. The push-button manuals M are of the translationally movablertype and the operating member O actuated thereby forms the rotor member of the selector.

usually used to couple the condenser rotor with the selector operating element, the rotor elements of the condenser are mounted so as to be directly operated by the operating element O of the selector and to this end the rotor plate sets r, r, are fixed to .and carried by a part of the operating member O.

In the preferred form of the invention, the operating member O comprises a rockable member journalled in the end plates I 0 and II of the frame F preferably in a ball-bearing mount as will be described in detail presently, the'said rockable member comprising two rocker plates 21 and 28 and two rocker bars 29 and 30 secured together to form a generally rectangular shaped frame, an extension rocker shaft 3| being fixed centrally to the plate 21 and a ball-bearing seat 32 being fixed centrally to the plate 28. This rockable operating member O is mounted for its rocking motion in the frame end plates I0 and II by a ball-bearing mounting, comprising an annular ball-bearing at one end and a single ball-bearing at the other end. The annular ballbearing consists of the end plate integrally formed race 33, the groove 34 in the rocker shaft 3l, and the annular series of balls 35. The single ball-bearing at the other end consists in the ball-bearing seat 32 fixed to the rocker plate 28, the seat 36 formed at the inner end of an adjusting screw 31, and the single ball 38 therebetween. The adjusting screw 31 is screwthreadedly mounted in the end plate II and is adjustably locked thereto by means of the locking nut 39. Y

An essential part of the present invention is the fixed mounting of the movable condenser plate sets r, r, on a part of the rockable operating member or rocker O. By this means all gearing and linking devices Ausually used to couple the condenser rotor with the selector operating member are eliminated and there is produced a construction in which the condenser rotor is directly operated by the operating member of the selector. A preferred way of xedly mounting the rotor plate sets on the rocker O is to groove the rocker bar 29 and to force the individual plates of the rotor in said grooves with a friction and binding fit, the resulting structure being that clearly shown in Figures 4 to 6 of the drawings. These rotor plates are preferably staked to the rocker bar. There results a unitary condenser and selector rotor R best shown in perspective in Figure 6 of the drawings.

The mode of operation of the operating member or rocker O and the condenser rotors r, r, will now be considered more in detail. 'Ihe rocker member is movable positively in either direction of its rocking movement. A pushing engagement of the upper rocker bar 29 by a suitable cam or contact element will cause positive rotation of the rocker O in one direction (to cause the condenser rotors to move in interleaving relation with the condenser stators), While a pushing engagement of the lower rocker bar 30 by a suitable cam or contact element will cause positive rotation of the rocker O in the opposite or reverse direction (to cause the condenser rotors to move out of interleaving relation with the condenser stators). The rocker bars 28 and 30 are also so related that when either bar serves as the engaging or actuating one, the other bar serves or acts (in conjunction with its contact element) as a means for stopping the rocker member O in its station selected To eliminate all gearing and linking devices position. The rocker 0 is mounted to move over a total arc of about 60 degrees (30 degrees each side oi! a vertical plane passing through the rocker axis); and the relation between the parts is such that with this arcuate movement of the rocker, the rotor plate sets r, r, are rioved between the full in and out of stator interleaving` positions shown in Figures 4 and 6, respectively.

The push-button manuals M comprise a plurality of push-button elements each representing a given frequency or station and each linearly or translationally movable to actuate the operating member or rocker O, which latter is common to all the push-button elements. In the exemplification of the invention shown in the drawings,

four push-button elements are shown, and since these are identical in structure and operation (except that the dierent ones are adjusted for different stations), only one of these need be described in detail. It may be premised, however, that Figure 5 shows the manual actuation of the left end manual, and Figure 4 shows the manual actuation of the right end manual, the parts being so adjusted that in the former case the rotor is moved to a position out of complete interleaving relation and in the latter case the rotor is moved to a position into full interleaving relation. It may also be added that the adjustments of the two intermediate manuals shown in the drawings are such that actuation thereof will operate the rotor to different positions both intermediate those depicted, respectively, in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings.

Each push-button manual M (see particularly the details in Figures 3, 4 and 6) comprises a key 40 slidable in keyways 4| and 42 cut, respectively, in the front yoke support I1 and the rear key guide I6 of the frame F. Each key 40 is provided with a cam shoe 43 which is adjustably locked in a predetermined position thereon with the upper and lower cam fingers 44 and 45 arranged to co- 30. The cam shoe 43 is mounted for rotatable yadjustment on a headed stud 45 anchored to the key 40, the mounting being such that when the shoe is unclamped it will move with rotational freedom on the stud and may thus be moved to any adjusted position. The clamping means of the shoe in its preadjusted position comprises an angular shaped clamp element 41 having a wall 48 adapted to clampingly engage the shoe 43, the said wall being provided with a rectangular orifice freely received by a lug 49 pressed out of the material of the key 40. The clamp element 41 also includes an anchoring wall 50 at an angle to the wall 48. The key 40 is provided at its front end with a turned in lug 5|; and both the lugs 43 and 5| have registering tapped oriiices for receiving an adjusting or locking screw 52, the

inner end of which bears against the anchoring wall 50 of the clamping element 4l. The key 40 is alsoprovided with stop shoulders 53 which are adapted to bear against the inner face of the yoke support I1 to define the limit of the outward movement of .the manual. A compression spring 54 encircling the inner reduced end 40' of the key 40 and acting at its opposite ends on the intermediate key section 402 and the key guide I6, urges the manual to its retracted or inoperative position. The medial plane of the keys define the path' of movement of the push-button manuals, and it will be noted that the rocker axis (axis of rotation of the rotor R) and this path of movement of the manuals lie in a common By means of this recited construction of the push-button manuals, it will be seen that each manual may be preset or adjusted to a given station by-loosening the clamp element 41 (effected by counter-clockwise rotation of a push-button 58 affixed to the front end of the adjusting and locking screw 52), thereby unclamping the cam shoe 43, by then moving the rotor R manually to a given station, by then pushing the push-button 58 until the cam iingers 44 and 45 of the cam shoe 43 engage the rocker bars 29 and 30 and are held in position thereby, and by then clamping the clamp element 43 (effected by the clockwise rotation of the push-button 58). Thereafter, push-button operation of the push-button manual will repeat the thus obtained setting of the tuning unit rotor. Operation of a push-button manual will move the rotor R in either direction of its rocking movement, depending upon the previously assumed position of the rotor and the position to which the cam shoe 43 has been adjusted. When a manual is pushed to its depressed position, the rotor R will be moved and then stopped in its selected position predetermined by the adjusted position of the cam shoe 43. Obviously, the different push-button manuals are preset for different stations.

The rotor R is preferably structurally balanced so that it may maintain any tuning position to which it has been moved. /The ball-bearing mounting for the rotor R is preferably adjusted by the adjusting screw 31 to take up all side and lateral play without introducing any material v friction in the system. However, this adjustment may be made so as to impart friction sufficient to hold the rotor in any of its adjusted positions. However, it is preferred to structurally balance the rotor R by attaching a compensating or balanclng weight 59 to the extension rocker shaft 3 l, as clearly shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings.

With the structure of the push-button manuals thus far described, a push-button manual when released will return to its retracted or inoperative position under the influence of the compressed spring 54. However, where it is desired to positively retain the rotor R in any of its tuned-in positions, means is preferably provided to hold the manual in its depressed-or operated position. A very advantageous way of accomplishing this is to provide means for engaging a part of the manual at the end or last part of its operating stroke to hold the same in its depressed position, the arrangement being such that movement of the rotor R from its selected position will move the depressed manual to release the same from said holding means and to thereby return the same to its normal retracted or inoperative position. Such means preferably comprises a leaf spring 60 (see Figures 4 and 6) anchored to the underneath wall of the tie bar i6 and having a free end which frictionally engages the edge of the key part 40' when the key reaches the end of its operating stroke. Figure 5 of the drawings shows the left end manual held in its thus depressed position, the rotor R being thereby locked in its station selected position. It will be apparent that when another manual is depressed and the rotor R actuated thereby, the movement of the rotor R from its previously selected position, by the action of the rocker bars on the cam fingers of the shoe 43 of the previously moved manual, will move the depressed manual to release the same from the resilient holding means 6i), the manual becoming disengaged from 'the holding means on the rst part of the return movement of said manual, the compressed spring being then active to return this previously depressed manual to its retracted or normal position. Thus these functions are accomplished by an exceedingly simple mechanism.

The structure and operation of the improved combinedradio condenser and station selector of the present yinvention will in the main be fully apparent from the above detailed description thereof. The movement of any push-button manual over a short linear or translational movement operates the selector mechanism to rotate the condenser to any one of its tuning positions. This voperation is accomplished by the simple mechanism described, there being a complete freedom of play and back lash combined with a minimum of friction loss, all to the end that there may be obtained a high degree of total accuracy in the repeatable operations of the manuals. No gears or linking mechanism are employed to couple the selector to the condenser. All of the operating elements are substantially rugged in construction and are subject to very little wear and tear in the repeated operations to which a device of this character is normally subjected. By virtue of the direct operation and the elimination of all gears and linkage elements, thus permitting friction losses to be reduced to a minimum, the push-button manuals may be operated with a very light stroke to accomplish a tuning operation. The organization of the parts produces a compact and simplified structural unit.

It will be understood that numerous changes may be made in the construction shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A combined radio condenser and station selector comprising a frame, a stator plate set mounted in said frame, a rotor journalled in said frame, Asaid rotor comprising a rockable member having two contact elements spaced thereon on opposite sides of its rocking axis, and a movable plate set xed to and carried by one of said contact elements, said rockable member being movable positively in either direction of its rocking movement, and a plurality of manuals supported in said frame each representing a station, said manuals each having two contact elements for selectively engaging the contact elements of said rockable member to move the same in either one or the other direction of its rocking movement upon selected actuation of said manuals.

2. A combined radio condenser and station selector comprising a frame, a stator plate set mounted in said frame, a rotor journalled in said frame, said rotor comprising a rockable member having two contact elements spaced thereon on opposite sides of its rocking axis and a movable plate set fixed to and carried by one of said contact elements, and a plurality of translationally movablepush-button manuals supported in said frame each representing a station, a member on each manual having two contact elements spaced thereon to coact with the contact elements of said rockable member, the engagement of onecoacting pair of contact elements serving to eiect the positive rotation of the rockable member in one direcv tion, the engagement of the other pair of contact elements serving to eiect the positive rotation of the rockable member in the opposite direction, and the engagement of both pairs of contact elements serving to stop the rockable member in its selected position, the rotation axis of said rotor and the path of movement of said manuals being arranged to lie in the same plane.

3. A combined radio condenser and station selector comprising a frame, a stator plate set mounted in said frame, a rotor journalled in said frame, said rotor comprising a'rockable member having two contact bars spaced thereon on opposite sides of its rocking axis and a movable plate set the plates of which are fixed to one of said contact bars, and a plurality of translationally movable push-button manuals supported in said frame each representing a station, an adjustable member on each manual having two contact iingers spaced thereon to coact with the contact bars of said rockable member, the engagement of A adapted to be engaged selectively by a manually I movable member for moving the rockable member positively in either direction of its rocking movement, and a condenser plate set xecl to and carried by one of said contact elements.

5. In a radio condenser and station selector, a rotor comprising a rockable member having two contact bars spaced thereon on opposite sides of its rocking axis, the contact bars being adapted to be engaged selectively by parts of a manually movable member for moving the rockable member positively in either direction of its rocking movement, and a condenser plate set fixed to and carried by one of said bars, the plates of said plate set being tted in grooves in said bars.

6. In a combined radio condenser and station selector, an operating member and a push-button manual for actuating the same, the operating` member comprising a rockable member movable positively in either direction of its rocking movement, said manual having elements for selectively engaging said rockable member to move the same in either one or the other direction of its rocking movement to a selected position, and holding means for engaging a part of said manual to hold said manual in its depressed position, said holding means and said manual part being arranged so as to become engaged at the last part of the operating stroke of the manual and to become correspondingly disengaged at the rst part of the return movement of said manual, movement of the said operating member from said selected position being effective by its engaging with one or the other of said push-button manual elements to move the depressed manual to release the same from saidV holding means and to thereby permit return of the same to its normal inoperative position.

7. In a combined radio condenserand station selector, a rotatable operating member and a translationally movable push-button manual for actuating the same, the operating member comprising a rockable member movable positively in either direction of its rocking movement, said manual having elements for selectively engaging said rockable member to move the same in either one or the other direction of its rocking movement to a selected position, and resilient holding means for engaging a part of said manual to hold said manual in its depressed position, said holding means and said manual part being arranged so as to become engaged at the last part of the operating stroke of the manual and to become correspondingly disengaged at the first part of the return movement o1' said manual, movement oi' the said operating member from said selected position being eiiective by its engaging with one or the other of said push-button manual elements to move the depressed manual to release the same from said holding means, and means for returning the manual to its normal inoperative position.

8. A combined radio condenser and station select-or comprising a frame, a statorplate set mounted in said frame, a rotor journalled in said frame, said rotor comprising a rockable member and a movable plate set ilxed to said rockable member, a manual for actuating said rockable member to move the same to a selected position, said manual having an element for en gaging the rockable member to effect its movement, and holding means for engaging a part oi said manual to hold said manual in its depressed position, said holding means and said manual part being arranged so as to become engaged at the last part of the operating stroke of the manual and to become correspondingly disengaged at the first part of the return movement of said manual, movement of the said rockable member from said selected position being effective by its engagement with said manual element to move the depressed manual to release the same from said holding means and to thereby permit return of the same to its normal inoperative position.

9. A combined radio condenser and station selector comprising a frame, a stator plate set mounted in said frame, a rotor Journalled in said frame, said rotor comprising a rockable member 0 and a movablel plate set iixed to said rockable member, a manual for actuating said rockable member to move the same to a selected position, said manual having an element for engaging the rockable member to eil'ect its movement, and holding means for engaging a part oi' said manual to hold said manual in its depressed position, said holding means and said manual part being arranged so as to become engaged at the last part of the operating stroke of the manual and to become correspondingly disengaged at the iirst part of the return movement of said manual, movement o! the said rockable member from said selected position being eiective by its engagement with said manual element to move the depressed manual to release the same from said holding means, and means for returning the manual to its normal inoperative position.

10. In a combined radio condenser and station selector, a rotor comprising a rockable member and a movable plate set ilxed to and carried by said rockable member, a push-button manual for actuating said rockable member to move the same to a selected position, said'manual having an element for engaging the rockable member to effect its movement, and holding means for engaging a part of said manual to hold said manual in its depressed position, said holding means and said manual part being arranged so as to become engaged at the last part ot the operating stroke of ythe manual and to become correspondingly disengaged at theV ilrst part of the return movement of said manual, movement of the said rockable member i'rom said selected position being effective by its engagement with said manual element to move the depressed manual to release the same from said holding means and to thereby permit return of the same to its normal inoperative position.

BERNE FISHER. 

